Ultrasound-based liver examination device, ultrasound apparatus, and ultrasound imaging method

ABSTRACT

An ultrasound apparatus, ultrasound-based liver examination device and ultrasound imaging method are provided. The ultrasound apparatus may include: an ultrasound probe, a transmission and receiving controller, an ultrasound echo signal processor, a data processor and a display device. The ultrasound echo signal processor may perform different processes on an ultrasound echo signal according to usage of the ultrasound echo signal. A gain compensation for enhancing image quality may be performed on a first ultrasound echo signal to be used for obtaining the ultrasound image, and a gain compensation for preserving original information may be performed on a second ultrasound echo signal to be used for calculating a quantitative parameter of a liver. The data processor may generate the ultrasound image according to the processed first ultrasound echo signal, calculate the quantitative parameter according to the processed second ultrasound echo signal, and output the ultrasound image and the quantitative parameter.

This application is a continuation application of International PatentApplication No. PCT/CN2018/103078, filed with the China NationalIntellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) on Aug. 29, 2018. Thecontent of the above application is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an ultrasound apparatus, and inparticular to an ultrasound-based liver examination device and anultrasound method for detecting hepatic steatosis.

BACKGROUND

Hepatic steatosis is also referred to as fatty liver disease, and is apathological change of excessive fat accumulation in liver cells causedby various reasons. Fatty liver disease is seriously endangering humanhealth, becomes the second largest liver disease after viral hepatitis,and has been recognized as a common cause of hidden hepatic cirrhosis.In general, hepatic steatosis is a reversible disease, and the clinicalmanifestations are asymptomatic in mild cases and fierce in severecases. Therefore, the early diagnosis and timely treatment of hepaticsteatosis are of great significance.

At present, ultrasound diagnosis is the first choice for the diagnosisof hepatic steatosis, and is widely used in physical examination andscreening. Its diagnostic indicators mainly include: the degree of echodifference of liver and kidney tissues, the degree of near and far fieldecho difference of the liver, the clarity of blood vessels in the liver,the degree of enlargement of the liver, etc. However, these indicatorsare generally qualitative diagnostic indicators, and are directlyrelated to factors such as the operating experience of operating doctorsand the subjective perception of brightness. Although there are sometechniques that can give quantitative parameters to evaluate hepaticsteatosis, only a certain quantitative parameter can be given alone.

SUMMARY

The present application provides an ultrasound apparatus and anultrasound-based hepatic steatosis detection device and ultrasoundimaging method for improving the accuracy of diagnosing hepaticsteatosis.

In an embodiment, an ultrasound apparatus is provided, comprising:

-   -   an ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound wave to        a target tissue and receive an ultrasound echo from the target        tissue, wherein the target tissue is a tissue of a liver;    -   a transmission and receiving controller configured to control        the ultrasound probe to transmit the ultrasound wave to the        target tissue and receive the ultrasound echo to obtain an        ultrasound echo signal;    -   an ultrasound echo signal processor configured to perform        different processes on the obtained ultrasound echo signal        according to usage of the obtained ultrasound echo signal,        wherein, a gain compensation for enhancing image quality is        performed on a first ultrasound echo signal to be used for        obtaining an ultrasound image of the target tissue, and a gain        compensation for preserving original information is performed on        a second ultrasound echo signal to be used for calculating a        quantitative parameter of the liver;    -   a data processor configured to generate the ultrasound image of        the target tissue according to the processed first ultrasound        echo signal, calculate the quantitative parameter of the liver        according to the processed second ultrasound echo signal, and        output the ultrasound image and the quantitative parameter; and    -   a display device configured to display the ultrasound image and        the quantitative parameter.

In an embodiment, an ultrasound-based liver examination device isprovided, comprising:

-   -   a receiving circuit configured to acquire an ultrasound echo        signal which is obtained by scanning a target tissue with an        ultrasound wave, wherein the target tissue is a tissue of a        liver;    -   an ultrasound echo signal processor configured to perform        different processes on the obtained ultrasound echo signal        according to usage of the obtained ultrasound echo signal,        wherein a gain compensation for enhancing image quality is        performed on a first ultrasound echo signal to be used for        obtaining an ultrasound image of the target tissue and a gain        compensation for preserving original information is performed on        a second ultrasound echo signal to be used for calculating a        quantitative parameter of the liver; and    -   a data processor configured to generate the ultrasound image of        the target tissue according to the processed first ultrasound        echo signal and calculate the quantitative parameter of the        liver according to the processed second ultrasound echo signal.

In an embodiment, an ultrasound imaging method is provided, comprising:

-   -   transmitting an ultrasound wave to a target tissue and receiving        an ultrasound echo from the target tissue to obtain an        ultrasound echo signal, the target tissue being a tissue of a        liver;    -   performing a gain compensation for enhancing image quality on a        first ultrasound echo signal to be used for obtaining an        ultrasound image of the target tissue;    -   performing a gain compensation for preserving original        information on a second ultrasound echo signal to be used for        calculating a quantitative parameter of the liver;    -   generating the ultrasound image of the target tissue according        to the processed first ultrasound echo signal;    -   calculating the quantitative parameter of the liver according to        the processed second ultrasound echo signal; and    -   displaying the ultrasound image and the quantitative parameter.

According to an ultrasound apparatus and an ultrasound-based liverdetection device in the above embodiments, it is possible to calculatethe corresponding quantitative evaluation parameters based on theoriginal ultrasound echo signal while displaying the B-mode ultrasoundimage of the biological tissue. The B-mode ultrasound image and thequantitative parameter are combined, thereby reducing the impact of theexperiences and subjective feelings of doctors, and improving theaccuracy of diagnosing hepatic steatosis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an ultrasound hepaticsteatosis detection apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of an ultrasound hepaticsteatosis detection apparatus in an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a first gain coefficient in anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a second gain coefficient in anembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the dB valueof acoustic energy attenuation and depth in a biological tissue;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the propagation of ultrasound indifferent lateral positions in the biological tissue;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the interaction of the two gaincoefficients in an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of an ultrasound hepaticsteatosis detection apparatus in another embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a procedure of ultrasound detection ofhepatic steatosis in another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will be further described in detail below throughspecific implementations in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.Associated similar element reference numerals are used for similarelements in different implementations. In the following implementations,many details are described such that the present application can bebetter understood. However, it may be effortlessly realized by a personskilled in the art that some of the features may be omitted, or may besubstituted by other elements, materials, and methods in differentcases. In certain cases, some operations involved in the presentdisclosure are not displayed or described in the specification, which isto prevent a core part of the present disclosure from being obscured bytoo much description. Moreover, for a person skilled in the art, thedetailed description of the involved operations is not necessary, andthe involved operations can be thoroughly understood according to thedescription in the specification and the general technical knowledge inthe art.

In addition, the characteristics, operations, or features described inthe specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to formvarious implementations. Moreover, the steps or actions in the methoddescription can also be exchanged or adjusted in order in a way that isobvious to a person skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders inthe specification and the accompanying drawings are merely for thepurpose of clear description of a certain embodiment and are not meantto be a necessary order unless otherwise stated that a certain ordermust be followed.

The serial numbers themselves for the components herein, for example,“first” and “second”, are merely used to distinguish the describedobjects, and do not have any sequential or technical meaning. Moreover,as used in the present disclosure, “connection” or “coupling”, unlessotherwise specified, comprises both direct and indirect connections(couplings).

Referring to FIG. 1 , the structure of an ultrasound apparatus 100 is asshown in FIG. 1 , comprising an ultrasound probe 101, a transmission andreceiving controller 102, a data processor 105, a display device 106 anda memory 107. In a specific embodiment, the ultrasound elasticitydetection apparatus 100 further comprises a transmission and receivingcircuit 103 and an ultrasound echo signal processor 104. Thetransmission and receiving controller 102 is in a signal connection withthe ultrasound probe 101 by means of the transmission and receivingcircuit 103, the ultrasound probe 101 is in a signal connection with theultrasound echo signal processor 104 by means of the transmission andreceiving circuit 103, an output end of the ultrasound echo signalprocessor 104 is connected to the data processor 105, and an output endof the data processor 105 is connected to the display device 106. Thememory 107 is connected to the data processor 105.

The ultrasound probe 101 comprises a plurality of transducers which arealso referred to as array elements, and the plurality of transducers areused to implement the mutual conversion of an electric pulse signal andultrasound waves so as to transmit ultrasound waves to a biologicaltissue (e.g., a biological tissue in a human or animal body) 108 to bedetected and receive ultrasound echoes reflected by the biologicaltissue. The plurality of transducers can be arranged in a row to form alinear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form an areaarray, and the plurality of transducers can also form a convex array.The transducers can transmit ultrasound waves excited by electricsignals, or transform the received ultrasound echoes into electricsignals. Therefore, each of the transducers can be either used totransmit ultrasound waves to a region of interest of a biologicaltissue, or used to receive ultrasound echoes reflected from the regionof interest of the biological tissue. When ultrasound detection isperformed, a transmission sequence and a receiving sequence can controlwhich transducers are used to transmit ultrasound and which transducersare used to receive ultrasound, or a transmission sequence and areceiving sequence can control the transducer to be used to transmitultrasound waves or receive ultrasound echoes in a time slotted manner.All the transducers participating in ultrasound transmission can besimultaneously excited by the electric signal so as to simultaneouslytransmit ultrasound waves; or the transducers participating inultrasound transmission can also be excited by several electric signalswith a certain time interval, so as to continuously transmit ultrasoundwaves with a certain time interval.

The transmission and receiving controller 102 is used to generate atransmission/receiving sequence and output the transmission/receivingsequence to the ultrasound probe. The transmission sequence is used tocontrol some or all of a plurality of array elements to transmitultrasound waves to a region of interest of a biological tissue. Thetransmission sequence also provides transmission parameters (e.g., theamplitude, frequency, number of transmission, angle of transmission,mode and/or focused location, etc. of ultrasound waves). According todifferent purposes, the mode, transmission direction and focusedlocation of the transmitted ultrasound can be controlled by means ofadjusting the transmission parameters. The species of ultrasound wavesmay be pulse ultrasound waves, plane ultrasound waves, etc. Thereceiving sequence is used to control some or all of the plurality ofarray elements to receive ultrasound echoes reflected from the region ofinterest of the biological tissue.

The transmission and receiving circuit 103 is connected among theultrasound probe and the transmission and receiving controller 102 andthe ultrasound echo signal processor 104, and is used to transfer thetransmission/receiving sequence controlled by the transmission andreceiving controller 102 to the ultrasound probe 101 and transferultrasound echo signal received by the ultrasound probe 101 to theultrasound echo signal processor 104.

The ultrasound echo signal processor 104 is used to process theultrasound echo signal, for example, to perform filtering,amplification, beamforming and other processing for the ultrasound echosignal, so as to obtain ultrasound echo data. In a specific embodiment,the ultrasound echo signal processor 104 can be used to output theultrasound echo data to the data processor 105, and can also firstlystore the ultrasound echo data in the memory 107, such that when it isnecessary to perform operation on the basis of the ultrasound echo data,the data processor 105 can read the ultrasound echo data from the memory107.

The memory 107 is used to store data and programs. The programs includea system program of the ultrasound apparatus, various applicationprograms, or algorithms for realizing various specific functions.

The data processor 105 is used to acquire the ultrasound echo data afterthe ultrasound echo being processed, and generate an ultrasound imageaccording to the processed ultrasound echo data. For example, a B-modeimage or a C-mode image.

The display device 106 is used to display detection results, forexample, ultrasound images, calculation results, graphic charts or textdescription.

In the concept of the present disclosure, it is possible to generate anultrasound image based on ultrasound echo data, and also quantitativelycalculate the quantitative parameters for evaluation of hepaticsteatosis based on the ultrasound echo data, which can not only obtainquantitative parameters of the liver, but also visually observe theposition and the image of the liver, such that a doctor can combine theultrasound image with these quantitative parameters to make judgments,so as to minimize the influence of the doctor's experience andsubjective feelings, and ultimately improve the accuracy of thediagnosis of hepatic steatosis.

When the ultrasound waves enter the target tissue from shallow to deep,the ultrasound waves will be attenuated to different degrees, and thereflected ultrasound echo will also be attenuated to different degrees.In order to improve the quality of the image formed by the reflectedultrasound echo signals, gain compensation with different degrees isusually performed on the ultrasound echo signals in the ultrasound echosignals being processed stage. The depth of a positon where theultrasound echo corresponding to the ultrasound echo signals is obtainedin the target tissue is different, and the gain coefficient is alsodifferent, for example: the deeper the depth of the positon where theultrasound echo corresponding to the ultrasound echo signals is obtainedin the target tissue is, the greater the gain coefficient is, that is,the greater the magnification of the amplitude of the ultrasound echosignals is, such that the brightness of the ultrasound image displayedon the display interface tends to be consistent. Although this gaincompensation method can improve the quality of the ultrasound image, italso loses some of the original information of the ultrasound echosignal, and some of the quantitative parameters used to evaluate hepaticsteatosis will be affected, resulting in inaccurate calculation results.Therefore, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the obtainedultrasound echo signal is subjected to different echo processesaccording to usage of the obtained ultrasound echo signal, for example,the gain compensation for the purpose of enhancing image quality isperformed on the first ultrasound echo signal to be used for obtained anultrasound image of the target tissue, and the gain compensation for thepurpose of preserving original information (e.g., preserving ultrasoundattenuation information, ultrasound echo signal-to-noise ratioinformation, etc.) is performed on the second ultrasound echo signal tobe used for calculating the quantitative parameter of the liver. Thepresent disclosure will be described in detail below with the specificembodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2 , in an embodiment, the ultrasound apparatus 200comprises an ultrasound probe 201, a transmission and receivingcontroller 202, a transmission and receiving circuit 203, an ultrasoundecho signal processor 204, a data processor 205, a display device 206and a memory 207. The ultrasound echo signal processor 204 comprises afirst echo processor 214 and a second echo processor 224. The dataprocessor 205 comprises an ultrasound image processor 215 and aquantitative parameter processor 225.

In this embodiment, when the ultrasound apparatus 200 is used forhepatic steatosis detection, the ultrasound probe 201 includes variousprobes for B-mode ultrasound imaging, for example, a linear array probe,a convex array probe, a phased array probe, a volume probe, aninstantaneous elasticity probe, etc. The user enables the ultrasoundprobe 201 to contact with a biological surface 208 stably, and setsultrasound transmission parameters by means of the transmission andreceiving controller 202, for example, setting a transmission frequencypoint, a focused intensity, a focused location, a scanning range, ascanning time, etc.

The transmission and receiving circuit 203 is used to switch betweentransmission and receiving. When it is necessary to transmit ultrasoundwaves, the transmission and receiving circuit 203 is switched to a statein which the transmission and receiving controller 202 is electricallyconnected to the ultrasound probe 201, such that the transmission andreceiving controller 202 transfers the ultrasound transmissionparameters to the ultrasound probe 201, and the ultrasound probe 201generates corresponding ultrasound waves by electrical excitation. Whenit is necessary to receive the ultrasound echoes, the transmission andreceiving circuit 203 is switched to a state in which the ultrasoundprobe 201 is electrically connected to the ultrasound echo signalprocessor 204, such that the ultrasound probe 201 converts the sensedultrasound echo signals to electric signals and then transfers theelectric signals to the ultrasound echo signal processor 204.

In this embodiment, the transmission and receiving circuit 203 dividesthe obtained ultrasound echoes into two paths, which respectively enterthe first echo processor 214 and the second echo processor 224. Thefirst echo processor 214 and the second echo processor 224 respectivelyperform filtering, amplification, beamforming and other processing onthe obtained ultrasound echo signals. For ease of explanation, theultrasound echo signal inputted to the first echo processor 214 isreferred to as a first ultrasound echo signal, and the ultrasound echosignal inputted to the second echo processor 224 is referred to as asecond ultrasound echo signal. In this embodiment, the first ultrasoundecho signal and the second ultrasound echo signal may be the sameultrasound echo signals derived from the ultrasound waves transmitted atthe same time, or may be different ultrasound echo signals derived fromthe ultrasound waves transmitted at different times.

In order to improve the brightness consistency between the near fieldand far field of the B-mode ultrasound image, when the first ultrasoundecho signal is amplified by the first echo processor 214, the gaincoefficient thereof uses a first gain coefficient, which is a functionrelated with a depth of a position where the ultrasound echocorresponding to the first ultrasound echo signal is generated in thetarget tissue, thereby setting different magnifications for the firstultrasound echo signal with different depths in the target tissue, forexample, the greater the depth of the position where the ultrasound echocorresponding to the first ultrasound echo signal is generated in thetarget tissue is, the higher the magnification set for the firstultrasound echo signal is, as shown in FIG. 3 . When the secondultrasound echo signal is amplified by the second echo processor 224,the gain compensation coefficient thereof uses a second gaincoefficient, which is independent of the depth of the position where theultrasound echo corresponding to the second ultrasound echo signal isgenerated in the target tissue, that is, the second gain does not changewith the depth of the position where the ultrasound echo correspondingto the second ultrasound echo signal. For example, for the secondultrasound echo signal with different depths, the same magnification isset, such that the second ultrasound echo signal can still preserve thestrong and weak contrast of the second ultrasound echo signal afterbeing gain-compensated, so as to record the attenuation informationcaused by the ultrasound waves entering the tissue from shallow to deep,and preserve the original ultrasound echo information in the secondultrasound echo signal, as shown in FIG. 4 .

In this embodiment, the ultrasound image processor 215 acquiresultrasound echo data after being processed by the first echo processor214, and generates an ultrasound image, such as a B-mode image or aC-mode image, based on the acquired ultrasound echo data. Thequantitative parameter processor 225 acquires ultrasound echo data afterbeing processed by the second echo processor 224 to obtain thequantitative parameters of the biological tissue. The quantitativeparameter includes at least one of quantitative parameter representingan ultrasound attenuation degree in the liver, quantitative parameterrepresenting a difference between ultrasound echoes from the liver andanother tissue, and quantitative parameter representing an ultrasoundvelocity in the liver.

For the quantitative parameter representing the ultrasound attenuationdegree in the liver, it is considered that when ultrasound wavespropagate in a medium, the intensity of the ultrasound waves decreaseswith the propagation distance, and especially for a uniform tissue, theenergy attenuation dB value of the ultrasound waves is approximatelylinearly proportional to the depth of the ultrasound waves in the targettissue and the current ultrasound frequency, as shown in FIG. 5 .Therefore, according to the above linear relationship, by means ofperforming fitting or comparison on the ultrasound echo signal in theliver tissue, the average attenuation coefficient of the whole livertissue can be obtained. The more serious the degree of hepatic steatosisin the liver tissue being, indicates that the higher the fat content inthe liver tissue is, and the greater the attenuation coefficient of theliver tissue is accordingly. In an embodiment, the second ultrasoundecho signal after being processed by the second echo processor 224 arefitted according to the depth of the position where the ultrasound echocorresponding to the second ultrasound echo signal is generated in thetarget tissue, which is performed by the quantitative parameterprocessor 225, so as to obtain a fitting straight line shown in FIG. 5 .With the slope of the obtained fitting straight line (i.e., theattenuation coefficient) as a quantitative parameter representing theultrasound attenuation degree in the liver, by which the fat content inthe liver tissue can be evaluated. In another embodiment, thequantitative parameter processor 225 selects the second ultrasound echosignal within two specific depth ranges from the second ultrasound echosignal being processed by the second echo processor 224, and the secondultrasound echo signal within two specific depth ranges is respectivelynear-field and far-field ultrasound echo signal. And a quantitativeparameter representing ultrasound attenuation degree of the secondultrasound echo signal is obtained by means of performing comparison onthe difference of the two signals for the near-field and far-fieldultrasound echo signal, such as the two signals amplitude ratio, or thedifference value in dB value of the two signals, or other parametersrelated to the two signals. Further, in an embodiment, the quantitativeparameter processor 225 selects the second ultrasound echo signal at twodepths from the second ultrasound echo signal being processed by thesecond echo processor 224, and then combines the selected secondultrasound echo signal and the difference in depth of the selectedsecond echo signal in the target tissue, so as to calculate thequantitative parameters representing ultrasound attenuation degree inthe liver. For example, “the difference value in dB value between a pairof ultrasound echo signal” and “the difference value in depth between apair of ultrasound echo signal” are first obtained, then the rationbetween the two difference values can also be used as the quantitativeparameter representing the ultrasound attenuation degree in the liver.

In some embodiments, according to the above linear relationship, othermethods for obtaining the attenuation coefficient can also be used. Forexample, near-field and far-field echo data within a specific depthrange are acquired, and the acquired two echo data are directly comparedto obtain related parameters corresponding to the ultrasoundattenuation, including the signal amplitude ratio or the differencevalue in dB value of the signal amplitude, etc.; or the acquired twoecho data combine with the difference value in depth of the acquired twoecho data in the target tissue, so as to calculate the attenuationcoefficient of the liver. Furthermore, in order to measure theattenuation parameters of the biological tissue more accurately, somemeasurement and data processing methods can also be used. For example,since the attenuation of the ultrasound echo signals is related to bothof the corresponding depth and the frequency of the ultrasound echosignals, multiple different frequencies can be used, and more accurateresults can be obtained by means of combining the ultrasound echo dataof corresponding frequencies. In addition to obtaining the attenuationparameter of the signal at different depths at a lateral position, theattenuation parameters of the signal at different lateral positions inthe liver can also be separately calculated to obtain an overall tissueattenuation evaluation parameter. Alternatively, the overall signalattenuation parameter corresponding to the overall echo energy atmultiple lateral positions at different depths is calculated to improvethe accuracy of the quantitative parameters. As shown in FIG. 6 , thelateral position described here represents a position in a differentdimension from the direction of ultrasound waves propagation depth, andaccording to the different ultrasound transmission directions, the abovelateral positions may be in parallel (such as the ultrasound echosignals at three different lateral positions A1, A2 and A3 in FIG.6(a)), and may also be not in parallel (such as the ultrasound echosignals at three different lateral positions B1, B2 and B3 in FIG.6(b)).

The quantitative parameter representing the echo difference betweendifferent tissues is obtained by means of comparing the secondultrasound echo signal of the liver and other different tissues. In theevaluation of hepatic steatosis, the doctor may need to compare theultrasound echo signal difference of the liver and other differenttissues. Taking the comparison between liver and kidney tissues as anexample, the quantitative parameters representing the echo differencebetween the liver and the kidney can be obtained by only separatelyobtaining the ultrasound echo signals of the liver tissue and the kidneytissue and comparing the amplitudes of the ultrasound echo signals. Thequantitative parameters can be selected as the amplitude ratio, thedifference value in dB value of the amplitude, etc.

In the same way, the present disclosure can combine the overallcomparison results of multiple echo data at different lateral positionsto improve the accuracy of the obtained parameters.

The quantitative parameters representing the ultrasound velocity in theliver is obtained by means of comparing the signal-to-noise ratio orresolution of the second ultrasound echo signal at different ultrasoundvelocities. In different soft tissues, ultrasound waves have differentpropagation speeds. The average propagation speed of ultrasound waves ina soft tissue is about 1540 m/s, but the propagation speed of ultrasoundwaves in fat is about 1450 m/s. Therefore, providing the ultrasoundvelocity in the liver can also reflect the degree of hepatic steatosisto a certain extent.

In the process of receiving and processing ultrasound echo signals, theinformation received by the array elements are generally processed bybeamforming so as to obtain an ultrasound echo with enhanced energy.However, the beamforming process is affected by the ultrasound velocityparameter. If the ultrasound velocity parameter is not appropriate, theoverall signal-to-noise ratio of the ultrasound echo signal obtainedafter beamforming will be poor, resulting in an unclear image and lowresolution. Therefore, by means of comparing the performance, such assignal-to-noise ratio or resolution of the echo obtained afterbeamforming at different ultrasound velocities, the ultrasound velocitycorresponding to the highest performance can be used as the currentmeasured ultrasound velocity.

In this embodiment, the quantitative parameters further include aquantitative parameter representing the size of the liver, which isobtained on the basis of the obtained ultrasound echo signal or theultrasound image. For example, the size of the normal liver is 25 cm inlong diameter, 15 cm in vertical diameter, and 16 cm in anteroposteriordiameter. The system can calculate parameters related to the size of theliver, such as the area, volume, long diameter, vertical diameter andanteroposterior diameter, by means of automatically detecting the liveredge or manually confirming the liver edge by the doctor on the basis ofthe B-mode image of the liver tissue. In addition, the ultrasoundapparatus 200 may also calculate the quantitative parametersrepresenting the size of the liver by means of data processing on thebasis of an ultrasound echo signal (e.g., the first ultrasound echosignal or the second ultrasound echo signal).

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , another embodiment is provided. Thedifference between this embodiment and the embodiment I is the method ofgain compensation in the ultrasound echo signal processor.

In this embodiment, gain compensation is performed firstly on thereceived echo data (including the first ultrasound echo signal and thesecond ultrasound echo signal) with a first gain coefficient, then thegain-compensated echo data is divided into two paths of the firstultrasound echo signal and the second ultrasound echo signal, and gaincounter-compensation is then performed on the second ultrasound echosignal with a third gain coefficient, so as to restore the signalattenuation of ultrasound waves transferred from shallow to deep in thetarget tissue.

Referring to FIG. 8 , in this embodiment, the ultrasound apparatus 300comprises an ultrasound probe 301, a transmission and receivingcontroller 302, a transmission and receiving circuit 303, an ultrasoundecho signal processor 304, a data processor 305, a display device 306and a memory 307. The ultrasound probe 301, the transmission andreceiving controller 302, the transmission and receiving circuit 303,the data processor 305, the display device 306 and the memory 307 arethe same as those in the embodiment I, which will not be repeated here.The ultrasound echo signal processor 304 comprises a first echoprocessor 314 and a second echo processor 324. The first echo processor314 firstly receives the ultrasound echo signal received by thetransmission and receiving circuit 303, and performs filtering,amplification, beamforming and other processing for the receivedultrasound echo signal. When being processed by amplification, theultrasound echo signal can be processed according to the requirements ofa desired ultrasound image. For example, for the purpose of enhancingimage quality, gain compensation is performed on the ultrasound echosignal with the first gain coefficient. The first gain coefficient isrelated to the depth of the position where the ultrasound echocorresponding to the obtained ultrasound echo signal is generated in thetarget tissue. For different depths, the gain coefficients aredifferent. For example, the deeper the depth, the greater the first gaincoefficient, as shown in FIG. 7 a . Then the first echo processor 314divides the processed ultrasound echo signal into two paths, whichrespectively enter the ultrasound image processor 315 and the secondecho processor 324. For ease of explanation, the ultrasound echo signalinputted to the first echo processor 314 is referred to as the firstultrasound echo signal, and the ultrasound echo signal inputted to thesecond echo processor 324 is referred to as the second ultrasound echosignal. In the second echo processor 324, the second ultrasound echosignal is amplified by being performed by a third gain coefficient. Thethird gain coefficient is also a depth-related function, such thatdifferent magnifications can be set for the second ultrasound echosignals at different depths. For example, the greater the depth, thelower the magnification, as shown in FIG. 7(b). The gain coefficient ofthe second ultrasound echo signal after gain counter-compensation by thesecond echo processor 324 is substantially a fixed value, as shown inFIG. 7(c), such that the second ultrasound echo signal can stillpreserve the strong and weak contrast of the gain-compensated ultrasoundecho signal, so as to record the attenuation caused by the ultrasoundwaves entering the tissue from shallow to deep and preserve the originalultrasound echo information in the second ultrasound echo signal.Therefore, the second ultrasound echo signal after being processed bythe second echo processor 324 preserves the original ultrasound echoinformation as much as possible, and is input to the quantitativeparameter processor 325 for calculation and processing of quantitativeparameters.

In an embodiment, a transmission/receiving control method by which theconventional B-mode imaging is obtained is used. As B-mode imaging isthe basic function of ultrasound imaging apparatus, in the presentdisclosure, since no additional transmission/receiving sequence isintroduced, the present disclosure can be applied to most of theultrasound systems which is of different costs, such as monochromeultrasonography, low-end color Doppler ultrasonography, high-endmulti-function color Doppler ultrasonography, etc. The ultrasound echoreceived at a certain moment is an original ultrasound echo signal whichcan be used to generate a B-mode image. Under this option, the samesequence can be used to generate a B-mode image and also to calculatequantitative parameters.

Furthermore, the transmission/receiving control sequence may also beselected to generate, in addition to a conventional B-mode imagingcontrol sequence, an independent control sequence dedicated tocalculation of quantitative parameters, in which the control parameters,such as transmission frequency point, focused intensity, focusedlocation, scanning range and scanning time, can also be different fromthe conventional B-mode imaging. Under this option, the B-mode sequenceis used to generate a B-mode image, and the independent control sequenceis used to calculate the quantitative parameters.

Referring to FIG. 9 , through a human-computer interaction interface,the user can select different transmission/receiving sequences, so as tocontrol the system to perform image data acquisition or quantitativeparameter calculation operation. The specific steps are as follows:

-   -   step 10, displaying a human-computer interaction interface to        provide a user with operation options, wherein the operation        options including ultrasound image data acquisition and        quantitative parameter calculation operation.    -   step 11, determining a user's operation selection result;    -   step 12, setting ultrasound transmission parameters according to        the above determination result, for example, wherein the        ultrasound transmission parameters including the transmission        frequency point, focused intensity, focused location, scanning        range, scanning time, etc.;    -   step 13, transmitting ultrasound waves to and receiving echo        from a region of interest of the biological tissue according to        the set transmission parameters;    -   step 14, when the user selecting the image data acquisition        operation, the first echo processor receiving echo data and        performing gain compensation on the received echo data to        enhance the image data quality and further process the enhanced        image data;    -   step 15, when the user selecting the quantitative parameter        calculation operation, the second echo processor receiving the        echo data and performing the corresponding gain compensation on        the received echo data to preserve the original ultrasound echo        information and further process the quantitative parameter data;        and    -   step 16, storing the results which are obtained respectively by        echo processing and data processing in a memory, or displaying        the stored results on the human-computer interaction interface        for the user.

The process of obtaining tissue ultrasound images and quantitativeparameter calculation results by means of the above method can beimplemented by the system automatically running responding to a userselection operation, or can be implemented step by step through manualtriggering by a user, which will not be listed here.

In an embodiment, an ultrasound imaging method using the above systemmay comprises:

-   -   transmitting an ultrasound wave to a target tissue and receiving        an ultrasound echo from the target tissue to obtain an        ultrasound echo signal, the target tissue being a tissue of a        liver;    -   performing a gain compensation for enhancing image quality on a        first ultrasound echo signal to be used for obtaining an        ultrasound image of the target tissue;    -   performing a gain compensation for preserving original        information on a second ultrasound echo signal to be used for        calculating a quantitative parameter of the liver;    -   generating the ultrasound image of the target tissue according        to the processed first ultrasound echo signal;    -   calculating the quantitative parameter of the liver according to        the processed second ultrasound echo signal; and    -   displaying the ultrasound image and the quantitative parameter.

In an embodiment, performing gain compensation on the first ultrasoundecho signal to be used for obtaining an ultrasound image of the targettissue, for the purpose of enhancing image quality may comprise:performing gain compensation on the first ultrasound echo signal with afirst gain coefficient which changes with a depth of a position wherethe ultrasound echo corresponding to the first ultrasound echo signal isgenerated in the target tissue.

In an embodiment, performing gain compensation, for the purpose ofpreserving original information, on the second ultrasound echo signal tobe used for calculating the quantitative parameter of the livercomprises: performing gain compensation on the second ultrasound echosignal with a second gain coefficient which is fixed.

In an embodiment, performing gain compensation, for the purpose ofpreserving original ultrasound echo information, on the secondultrasound echo signal to be used for calculating the quantitativeparameter of the liver comprises: firstly performing gain compensationon the second ultrasound echo signal with a first gain coefficient, andthen performing gain compensation on the gain-compensated secondultrasound echo signal with a third gain coefficient, such that theresultant gain coefficient on the second ultrasound echo signal does notchange with a depth of a position where the ultrasound echocorresponding to the second ultrasound echo signal is generated in thetarget tissue.

In an embodiment, performing gain compensation, for the purpose ofpreserving original information, on the second ultrasound echo signal tobe used for calculating the quantitative parameter of the livercomprises: performing gain compensation, for the purpose of preservingoriginal ultrasound information, on the second ultrasound echo signal tobe used for calculating the quantitative parameter of the liver.

In an embodiment, the quantitative parameter may include a quantitativeparameter representing the ultrasound attenuation degree in the liver, aquantitative parameter representing a difference between ultrasoundechoes from the liver and another tissue, and a quantitative parameterrepresenting an ultrasound velocity in the liver; wherein, thequantitative parameter representing the ultrasound attenuation degree inthe liver is obtained by fitting or comparing the gain-compensatedsecond ultrasound echo signal based on a depth, the quantitativeparameter representing the difference between ultrasound echoes from theliver and the another tissue is obtained by comparing thegain-compensated second ultrasound echo signals from the liver and theanother tissue, and the quantitative parameter representing theultrasound velocity in the liver is obtained by comparingsignal-to-noise ratios or ultrasound image resolutions of thegain-compensated second ultrasound echo signals obtained in differentultrasound velocities.

In an embodiment, the quantitative parameter may further comprises aquantitative parameter representing the size of the liver, and thequantitative parameter representing the size of the liver is obtained onthe basis of the obtained ultrasound echo signal or the ultrasoundimage.

A person skilled in the art may understand that all or some of thefunctions of the various methods in the above implementations may beimplemented by means of hardware or by means of a computer program. Whenall or some of the functions in the above implementations areimplemented by means of a computer program, the program may be stored ina computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium may comprise:a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, an opticaldisk, a hard disk, and the like, and the program is executed by acomputer to implement the above functions. For example, the program isstored in a memory of an apparatus, and when the program in the memoryis executed by means of a processor, all or some of the above functionscan be implemented. In addition, when all or some of the functions inthe above implementations are implemented by means of a computerprogram, the program may also be stored in a storage medium such as aserver, another computer, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a flashdisk, or a mobile hard disk, may be saved in a memory of a localapparatus through downloading or copying, or version updating may beperformed on a system of the local apparatus. When the program in thememory is executed by means of a processor, all or some of the functionsin the above implementations can be implemented.

The description has been made with reference to various exemplaryembodiments herein. However, those skilled in the art would haveappreciated that changes and modifications could have been made to theexemplary embodiments without departing from the scope herein. Forexample, various operation steps and components for performing operationsteps may be implemented in different ways according to a specificapplication or considering any number of cost functions associated withthe operation of the system (for example, one or more steps may bedeleted, modified or incorporated into other steps).

In addition, as understood by those skilled in the art, the principlesherein may be reflected in a computer program product on acomputer-readable storage medium that is pre-installed withcomputer-readable program codes. Any tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium can be used, including magnetic storageapparatuses (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storageapparatuses (CD-ROM, DVD, Blu Ray disks, etc.), flash memory, and/or thelike. These computer program instructions can be loaded onto ageneral-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmabledata processing apparatus to form a machine, such that theseinstructions executed on a computer or other programmable dataprocessing device can generate a device that implements a specifiedfunction. These computer program instructions can also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can instruct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing device to operate in a specific manner,such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory canform a manufactured product, including an implementation apparatus thatimplements a specified function. The computer program instructions canalso be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, such that a series of operating steps are performed on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer-implemented process, such that the instructions executed on acomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus can providesteps for implementing specified functions.

Although the principles herein have been shown in various embodiments,many modifications of structures, arrangements, ratios, elements,materials, and components that are particularly suitable for specificenvironments and operating requirements can be made without departingfrom the principles and scope of the present disclosure. The abovemodifications and other changes or amendments will be included withinthe scope herein.

The foregoing specific description has been described with reference tovarious embodiments. However, those skilled in the art would haveappreciated that various modifications and changes could have been madewithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore,consideration of the present disclosure will be in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications will beincluded within the scope thereof. Likewise, the advantages of variousembodiments, other advantages, and the solutions to problems have beendescribed above. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions toproblems, and any elements that can produce these, or solutions thatmake them more explicit, should not be interpreted as critical,necessary, or essential. The term “comprising” and any other variantsthereof used herein are non-exclusive, such that the process, method,document, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes notonly these elements, but also other elements that are not explicitlylisted or do not belong to the process, method, system, document, orapparatus. Furthermore, the term “coupling” and any other variationsthereof used herein refer to physical connection, electrical connection,magnetic connection, optical connection, communication connection,functional connection, and/or any other connection.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes can be made tothe details of the above-described embodiments without departing fromthe basic principles of the present invention. Therefore, the scope ofthe present invention should be determined only by the claims asfollows.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An ultrasound apparatus, comprising: anultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound wave to a targettissue and receive an ultrasound echo from the target tissue, whereinthe target tissue is a tissue of a liver; a transmission and receivingcontroller configured to control the ultrasound probe to transmit theultrasound wave to the target tissue and receive the ultrasound echo toobtain an ultrasound echo signal; an ultrasound echo signal processorconfigured to perform different processes on the obtained ultrasoundecho signal according to usage of the obtained ultrasound echo signal,wherein, a gain compensation for enhancing image quality is performed ona first ultrasound echo signal for obtaining an ultrasound image of thetarget tissue, and a gain compensation for preserving originalinformation is performed on a second ultrasound echo signal forcalculating a quantitative parameter of the liver; a data processorconfigured to generate the ultrasound image of the target tissueaccording to the processed first ultrasound echo signal, calculate thequantitative parameter of the liver according to the processed secondultrasound echo signal, and output the ultrasound image and thequantitative parameter, wherein the quantitative parameter comprises aquantitative parameter representing an ultrasound attenuation degree inthe liver, a quantitative parameter representing a difference betweenultrasound echoes from the liver and another tissue, and a quantitativeparameter representing an ultrasound velocity in the liver; and adisplay device configured to display the ultrasound image and thequantitative parameter.
 2. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe ultrasound echo signal processor comprises a first ultrasound echosignal processor and a second ultrasound echo signal processor, thefirst echo signal processor being configured to perform the gaincompensation for enhancing image quality on the first ultrasound echosignal with a first gain coefficient which changes with a depth of aposition where the ultrasound echo corresponding to the first ultrasoundecho signal is generated in the target tissue, and the second ultrasoundecho signal processor being configured to perform the gain compensationfor preserving original information on the second ultrasound echo signalwith a second gain coefficient which is fixed.
 3. The ultrasoundapparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound echo signal processor isconfigured to perform a gain compensation on the second ultrasound echosignal with a first gain coefficient, and to perform a gain compensationon the gain-compensated second ultrasound echo signal with a third gaincoefficient, such that a resultant gain coefficient on the secondultrasound echo signal does not change with a depth of a position wherethe ultrasound echo corresponding to the second ultrasound echo signalis generated in the target tissue.
 4. The ultrasound apparatus of claim1, wherein the transmission and receiving controller is configured tocontrol the ultrasound probe to transmit the ultrasound wave to thetarget tissue to obtain the first ultrasound echo signal and the secondultrasound echo signal with a same transmission/receiving sequence. 5.The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission andreceiving controller is configured to control the ultrasound probe totransmit a first ultrasound wave to the target tissue to obtain thefirst ultrasound echo signal with a first transmission/receivingsequence, and to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a secondultrasound wave to the target tissue to obtain the second ultrasoundecho signal with a second transmission/receiving sequence.
 6. Theultrasound apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the ultrasound echo signalprocessor is configured to perform a gain compensation for preservingultrasound attenuation information on the second ultrasound echo signalfor calculating the quantitative parameter of the liver; and thequantitative parameter representing the ultrasound attenuation degree inthe liver is obtained by fitting or comparing the gain-compensatedsecond ultrasound echo signal based on a depth, the quantitativeparameter representing the difference between ultrasound echoes from theliver and the another tissue is obtained by comparing thegain-compensated second ultrasound echo signals from the liver and theanother tissue, and the quantitative parameter representing theultrasound velocity in the liver is obtained by comparingsignal-to-noise ratios or resolutions of the gain-compensated secondultrasound echo signals obtained at different ultrasound velocities. 7.The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the quantitative parameterfurther comprises a quantitative parameter representing a size of theliver, wherein the quantitative parameter representing the size of theliver is obtained according to the obtained ultrasound echo signal orthe ultrasound image.
 8. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe display device is configured to simultaneously or alternatelydisplay the ultrasound image and the quantitative parameter according toa selection of a user.
 9. An ultrasound-based liver examination device,comprising: a receiving circuit configured to acquire an ultrasound echosignal which is obtained by scanning a target tissue with an ultrasoundwave, wherein the target tissue is a tissue of a liver; an ultrasoundecho signal processor configured to perform different processes on theobtained ultrasound echo signal according to usage of the obtainedultrasound echo signal, wherein a gain compensation for enhancing imagequality is performed on a first ultrasound echo signal for obtaining anultrasound image of the target tissue and a gain compensation forpreserving original information is performed on a second ultrasound echosignal for calculating a quantitative parameter of the liver; and a dataprocessor configured to generate the ultrasound image of the targettissue according to the processed first ultrasound echo signal andcalculate the quantitative parameter of the liver according to theprocessed second ultrasound echo signal, wherein the quantitativeparameter comprises a quantitative parameter representing an ultrasoundattenuation degree in the liver, a quantitative parameter representing adifference between ultrasound echoes from the liver and another tissue,and a quantitative parameter representing an ultrasound velocity in theliver.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the ultrasound echo signalprocessor is configured to perform a gain compensation on the firstultrasound echo signal with a first gain coefficient which changes witha depth of a position where the ultrasound echo corresponding to thefirst ultrasound echo signal is generated in the target tissue, so as toimplement the gain compensation for enhancing image quality on the firstultrasound echo signal.
 11. The device of claim 9, wherein theultrasound echo signal processor is configured to perform a gaincompensation on the second ultrasound echo signal with a second gaincoefficient which is fixed so as to implement the gain compensation forpreserving original information on the second ultrasound echo signal.12. The device of claim 9, wherein the ultrasound echo signal processoris configured to perform a gain compensation on the second ultrasoundecho signal with a first gain coefficient, and to perform a gaincompensation on the gain-compensated second ultrasound echo signal witha third gain coefficient, such that the resultant gain coefficient onthe second ultrasound echo signal does not change with a depth of aposition where the ultrasound echo corresponding to the secondultrasound echo signal is generated in the target tissue, so as toimplement the gain compensation for preserving original information onthe second ultrasound echo signal.
 13. The device of claim 9, whereinthe first ultrasound echo signal and the second ultrasound echo signalare obtained by controlling a probe to transmit the ultrasound wave tothe target tissue with a same transmission/receiving sequence.
 14. Thedevice of claim 9, wherein the first ultrasound echo signal is obtainedby controlling a probe to transmit a first ultrasound wave to the targettissue with a first transmission/receiving sequence, and the secondultrasound echo signal is obtained by controlling the probe to transmita second ultrasound wave to the target tissue with a secondtransmission/receiving sequence.
 15. An ultrasound imaging method,comprising: transmitting an ultrasound wave to a target tissue andreceiving an ultrasound echo from the target tissue to obtain anultrasound echo signal, the target tissue being a tissue of a liver;performing a gain compensation for enhancing image quality on a firstultrasound echo signal for obtaining an ultrasound image of the targettissue; performing a gain compensation for preserving originalinformation on a second ultrasound echo signal for calculating aquantitative parameter of the liver; generating the ultrasound image ofthe target tissue according to the processed first ultrasound echosignal; calculating the quantitative parameter of the liver according tothe processed second ultrasound echo signal, wherein the quantitativeparameter comprises a quantitative parameter representing an ultrasoundattenuation degree in the liver, a quantitative parameter representing adifference between ultrasound echoes from the liver and another tissue,and a quantitative parameter representing an ultrasound velocity in theliver; and displaying the ultrasound image and the quantitativeparameter.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein performing the gaincompensation for enhancing image quality on the first ultrasound echosignal for obtaining the ultrasound image of the target tissuecomprises: performing a gain compensation on the first ultrasound echosignal with a first gain coefficient which changes with a depth of aposition where the ultrasound echo corresponding to the first ultrasoundecho signal is generated in the target tissue.
 17. The method of claim15, wherein performing the gain compensation for preserving originalinformation on the second ultrasound echo signal for calculating thequantitative parameter of the liver comprises: performing a gaincompensation on the second ultrasound echo signal with a second gaincoefficient which is fixed.
 18. The method of claim 15, whereinperforming the gain compensation for preserving original information onthe second ultrasound echo signal for calculating the quantitativeparameter of the liver comprises: performing a gain compensation on thesecond ultrasound echo signal with a first gain coefficient andperforming a gain compensation on the gain-compensated second ultrasoundecho signal with a third gain coefficient such that the resultant gaincoefficient on the second ultrasound echo signal does not change with adepth of a position where the ultrasound echo corresponding to thesecond ultrasound echo signal is generated in the target tissue.
 19. Themethod of claim 15, wherein performing the gain compensation forpreserving original information on the second ultrasound echo signal forcalculating the quantitative parameter of the liver comprises:performing a gain compensation for preserving ultrasound attenuationinformation on the second ultrasound echo signal for calculating thequantitative parameter of the liver.
 20. The method of claim 15,wherein, the quantitative parameter representing the ultrasoundattenuation degree in the liver is obtained by fitting or comparing thegain-compensated second ultrasound echo signal based on a depth, thequantitative parameter representing the difference between ultrasoundechoes from the liver and the another tissue is obtained by comparingthe gain-compensated second ultrasound echo signals from the liver andthe another tissue, and the quantitative parameter representing theultrasound velocity in the liver is obtained by comparingsignal-to-noise ratios or ultrasound image resolutions of thegain-compensated second ultrasound echo signals obtained at differentultrasound velocities.